Sisters of the Quilt Trilogy (99 page)

H
oping Mary would return her call before time to leave for school, Hannah patiently pointed to an equation at the top of Kevin’s math sheet. He sat at the kitchen table, pencil in hand, frown in place, and she stood beside him.

She had an idea to share with Mary about what Sarah could do as a job—rescuing dogs or maybe training them. Her sister seemed to have a lot of misdirected feelings of affection. Maybe working with animals would harness those emotions in a positive way, but Hannah needed feedback from Mary and Luke. If Luke thought it was reasonable, he could talk to Paul about it.

Hannah placed her thumb near the equation Kevin had just worked. “If you have no apples, can you take five apples away?”

He pointed to the paper. “But if you have five and you take zero away …”

“You have zero and need to take five away. You subtract the bottom numbers from the top numbers.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” He studied the paper for a second. “Wait. I think I got it.” He lowered his head, writing on his paper.

Hannah ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head before glancing at the work in front of Lissa. Mary should have received her message by now. It’d been two days, but it was possible no one had checked the answering machine in the phone shanty, and since the cold November weather had set in, they probably hadn’t heard it ring.

Laura was out running a few errands, picking up items Kevin needed for a science project he’d forgotten to mention was due tomorrow. After three weeks of Laura’s working full-time, the edge of impatience in Martin’s voice had faded.

Hannah grabbed the potholders and opened the oven. The back door swung open, and a cold blast of early November air swept through the room as Martin walked inside, looking every bit the executive. Like rockets taking off, Kevin and Lissa jumped up from their seats. Martin lifted Lissa into his arms and kissed her cheek before she wrapped her arms around his neck and stayed there.

Kevin leaned in and hugged Martin around the waist. “I saw a Porsche today on the way to school.”

“You did?” Martin gave him a one-arm hug, patting his back while his gaze met Hannah’s.

The image of the children clinging to him warmed her. When Faye first left, Kevin and Lissa were most comforted by Hannah’s presence, but over the months they’d grown to love him, and he’d gone from tolerating them to loving them as if they were his own, which said a lot since he’d never wanted children.

Kevin nodded. “And on the way home I saw a convertible, a Corvette.”

Hannah took the lasagna out of the oven. “How does he know that stuff?” Closing the oven door with her hip, she glanced his way before setting the hot dish on the stove.

“It’s guy stuff.” Martin raised his eyebrows, teasing her. He put Lissa’s feet on the floor and came up behind Hannah, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Smells good.”

From his college years on, Martin had avoided eating at home, but with a new family underfoot, he conceded to the routine without complaint.

Hannah glanced at the clock. “Laura ran to the store. I need to leave for class in forty minutes. Let’s clear the homework off the table and eat. Kevin, you get each of us a bottle of water and set it on the table.”

Martin slid out of his winter coat and hung it on a peg just inside the back door before he grabbed Lissa’s papers and backpack off the table. “Only six more weeks of nursing school left, not that I’m counting or anything.”

Hannah laughed softly while passing four plates to Lissa. The way he said it, mixed with the look in his eyes, made her realize he’d been counting for a long time. “Yep, I graduate on the Friday before we leave for …” She stopped herself. Just the mention of the two-week Hawaiian trip over the Christmas holidays made Kevin and Lissa spiral out of control with excitement.

He caught her eye, assuring her he knew what she meant. He’d been right that all of them flying to Hawaii, along with his top employees and a couple of friends, would distract Kevin and Lissa from missing their mother over the holidays. He continued clearing off the table while she placed rolls in a basket. The kids were eager, but Martin seemed to long for this trip more than anyone.

“Oh, Dr. Lehman asked if I’d join him full-time at the clinic after the first of the year.”

His face twisted with displeasure.

Holding a handful of flatware, Hannah stopped directly in front of him. “Actually, I’m thinking about it.”

“Come on, Hannah. Working more hours for him means being on call more. We can’t schedule a life around on-call hours.” Martin took the utensils from her.

“I would only be on call eight days a month. Four of those days would be every other weekend, and four would be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and I’m there every Tuesday anyway. It’s quite doable.”

He placed the flatware in the wrong spots near the plates. “You make nearly nothing there.”

Lissa went behind him, straightening them.

Hannah grabbed a spatula and began cutting the lasagna. “But this is really important to me.”

The phone rang, and Hannah glanced at the caller ID.
Mary. Or maybe Luke
.

“Sorry, but I’ve been waiting two days to hear back from Mary.”

He shrugged. “As long as no one expects you to drop everything and blast off to Owl’s Perch, Pennsylvania.”

She grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“Hannah.” Mary sounded a little breathless.

“Hey, Mary, it’s about time you returned my call.”

“Your call? I didn’t know you called. How … how are you?” Mary’s voice sounded hollow.

Trying to hear over the clatter of plates and the conversation between Martin and the children, Hannah motioned for them to begin without her, and she took the cordless into the other room. “I’m fine. We’re about to eat dinner, and then I’m off to school. A better question is how are you? Did you like the obstetrician Dr. Lehman found for you?”

“She seems okay. I had an ultrasound yesterday, and I’m scheduled for the C-section on Monday.”

Where is the excitement at having seen the baby?

“Monday? Your doctor must think you’re a few weeks further along than you figured.”

“Ya, that’s sort of what she said.”

Sort of?

“You okay?” The silence that followed answered Hannah’s question. “Mary, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing …”

Searching for the right words, she took into account all she knew of Mary, being Amish, and what Dr. Lehman had taught her, before she started talking in Pennsylvania Dutch. It wasn’t long before Mary was telling her what truly was on her mind—the odd sensations in her body, the fears about Monday, and the fact that Luke wasn’t home.

Every symptom Mary was hem-hawing about indicated she might be in labor. “Mary, is there someone within sight? Someone you could holler for to come to the phone?”

“No, but I think Jacob and Mammi Annie are on the property somewhere.”

Unwilling for Mary to tread up and down hills looking for someone, Hannah’s mind jammed with a dozen possible ways to handle this. “Mary, listen to me.” She kept control of her voice, trying to sound authoritative and reassuring at the same time. “I need you to hang up and dial 911. Tell them you need an ambulance. Then slowly make your way inside and lie down until it arrives.”

“That’s silly. I’m going in for a C-section on Monday. I … I’m fine until then.”

“Everything you just described means you could be in early labor.”

Mary began sobbing. “I can’t … Luke’s not here, and—”

“I’ll get hold of Paul and send him to find Luke for you. They’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“No … please. I … I don’t want to do this.”

“But you
can
do it, and you will for both the baby’s sake and yours.”

“Will the lady doctor be there?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want you staying on your feet long enough to find out. I’ll call Dr. Lehman and get him to do what he can, but if she’s not there, another surgeon will be.”

“I’m so scared.”

Hannah’s insides quaked. “It’ll be fine. Just do as I’m telling you.”

“What if you’re wrong? What if I’m not in labor or anything?” Mary echoed Hannah’s own thoughts.

She could be overreacting, and the ambulance trip and Mary being admitted into the hospital would not only cost Luke a fortune but would cause a lot of distrust and anger against Hannah. Again. But she couldn’t take a chance. “I’m not wrong.” What else could she say? If she left Mary with any doubts, her friend would ignore the symptoms, maybe until it was too late.

Mary broke into sobs.

In spite of wanting to join her, Hannah remained outwardly calm. “You’re going to be fine, and you’ll have that baby in your arms even sooner than Monday.”

“This is so scary.”

Hearing the desperation in Mary’s voice and the giggles of the children as they talked to Martin over dinner, she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. The pull to go to Owl’s Perch and the desire to be here weighed on her. “You do what needs to be done. I’ll come visit as soon as I can and hold this niece or nephew, okay?”

“Ya, okay.” Mary sounded calmer now. “You’ll find Luke?”

“He’s never far, and Paul will find him. Depending on how much time has passed, he’ll either bring Luke to the house or take him straight to the hospital. Now do as I said and get off your feet. I’ll see you soon.” Hannah disconnected the call and phoned Dr. Lehman.

He agreed to try to reach the doctor and at least see if she was on call tonight and, if she wasn’t, to explain the circumstances to whoever was on call. He then relayed all the numbers the clinic had given him for reaching Paul. If Paul wasn’t on call, he wouldn’t have one of two cells provided by the clinic. Wondering if that was part of his decision to stick to the Plain lifestyle or if money was the issue, Hannah said her goodbyes.

She pressed the numbers for each cell, but no one answered.

Martin ambled out of the kitchen. “What’s up this time?”

“I think Mary’s in labor.” She held up her index finger for him to give her a minute. After dialing the Better Path, she listened to a message about the office being closed and reopening in the morning. Before it finished telling her how to reach someone in case of an emergency, she hung up. “I told her to call for an ambulance, and now I’m trying to locate Paul so he can find Luke and get him to the hospital.”

She had the number for two other places he could be, Gram’s and his apartment. She called his apartment first.

Martin’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. “You’re shaking. You okay?”

“This isn’t good news, Martin. Could be really bad news. I won’t know for a while.” After twenty rings and no one picking up, she disconnected the call and dialed Gram’s. “I don’t know how long she’s been in labor …” Someone answered at Gram’s house.

“Hello.”

Great. She’d finally reached someone, and it sounded like the same young woman who’d answered the phone the two times Hannah had tried to reach Paul years ago. “This is Hannah Lawson. I need to speak with Paul.”

“I, uh … he’s … he’s … not here … At least … I, uh—”

It was definitely the same person, and she had no doubt it was Dorcas. Hannah’s blood turned hot. “Let me interrupt this little spell of confusion for you, Dorcas.” She began pacing the floors. “I want to speak to Paul. Now.” She measured each word distinctly, softly demanding respect. “And if you don’t want him to know about any other times I’ve called and not gotten through, I highly recommend you find him ASAP.”

“Hold on.” Dorcas’s voice wavered more than Mary’s had.

Hannah turned to find Martin studying her.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” But his eyes were glued to her, perplexed.

“Hannah, what’s up?” Paul’s voice held that steady calmness she’d come to expect over the last six weeks.

“I received a call from Mary. I think she’s in labor, and I told her to call for an ambulance. Luke’s not at home, and she’s not sure where he is. Can you find him for her?”

“I’ll certainly try, but would you rather me get Mary and take her to the hospital?”

“I thought of that and decided against it. If she’s in labor, her best option is to be in an ambulance with medical assistance.”

“Okay, I trust your judgment. You stick to trusting it. I’ll find Luke and call you as soon as I know something. Are you on your way?”

“I’m not sure. I have class. Do you have my cell?”

“I have it. Bye.”

She closed her phone and her eyes, praying silently.

Martin slid his arms around her. “Can’t they take care of themselves?”

Clueless as to how to share the complexities of her roots, she said nothing.

He held her tighter. “Can I do something for you?”

With her head against his chest, she took a deep breath. “I want to be there.”

“It’s more than four hours away. Whatever is going to take place will be over before you could arrive.”

“I know.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders, backing her up and gazing into her eyes. “You can’t miss another class.”

“I’m not going to be able to concentrate anyway.”

“Hannah,” he snapped, “the answer is no. I’m not budging on this one.” He pulled her back into his arms. “Just wait, and I’ll drive you there myself on Saturday as soon as your clinical rotation shift is over. That’s just the day after tomorrow. She’ll probably still be in the hospital, right?”